Bone, bone, bone, and more bone.
All that could be seen were enormous tendrils made of bone.
The endless waves of bone surging from every direction evoked the image of a storm encountered in the open sea.
It wasn't just a feeling.
The being known as the Bone Lord was, in a sense, like an endless and vast ocean in itself.
Rumble rumble rumble!───
Waves composed of bone tendrils surged forth, writhing as if to devour everything.
Janus and Horus did their best to hold their ground against the Bone Lord's onslaught, but even just enduring was proving difficult.
Zzzzing...!
The BLT-47 Plasma Launcher and ICE-54 Plasma Cooler in my hands discharged flashes of light and chilling frost.
They were my primary weapons that had proven overwhelmingly powerful up until now—now upgraded through several iterations to the prestigious 9-Star tier.
And yet, against the Bone Lord's tendrils, their former destructive force was nowhere to be seen.
The plasma beams—reputed to cut through anything—were obstructed by the tendrils, and even the artificially induced absolute-zero temperatures created by the cooler failed to halt them.
BOOM BOOM BOOM!───
Fortunately, the freeze-and-melt combo—an integrated application of the BLT-47 and ICE-54—was still somewhat effective.
But the real issue was that I simply didn't have the time or capacity to freeze and melt each overwhelming wave crashing down on us.
'As expected, this level of equipment isn't enough against a monster like the Bone Lord.'
There was no helping it.
The Bone Lord was one of the apex monsters in The Defense, and even if the BLT-47 Plasma Launcher and ICE-54 Plasma Cooler were top-class, expecting them to be effective against an enemy of this caliber was overambitious.
'Looks like I'll need more than just the Zeus-444 Railgun. I'll have to acquire new equipment too.'
That would include weapons not yet developed within the Ark.
Weapons that would one day be created.
But I had no intention of passively waiting for that day to come.
'Once the Silk Road system is fully operational after this mission... the development pace should pick up rapidly.'
And the major event that would follow the Silk Road would undoubtedly have a major impact on the Ark's technological advancements.
'Anyway...'
As my thoughts settled, I turned my gaze forward once again.
The waves of bone were endless.
It felt like everything might come to a halt, buried forever beneath this tide.
Was it even possible to drink all the water of a limitless ocean?
A pointless question.
But maybe the perspective needed adjusting.
'I don't need to drink the entire ocean by force.'
I just needed to change the container.
What defines an ocean? Where does a river end and the sea begin?
If that definition could be changed, devouring the Bone Lord—this vast ocean—might not be impossible after all.
[Keh-hehehet!]
Janus and Horus extended their own bone tendrils to clash against the overwhelming tide.
Turncoat Rook and Turncoat Knight also recovered their senses and joined in.
[Ki-ki-ki-kit!───]
Tendrils that seemed to move with individual will tangled, scattering shards of bone while screams and grotesque sounds filled the air.
A world where not even a step ahead could be seen.
Ironically, that made what we needed to do even more clear.
"Uwaaaah!"
["Kin, dred, hold the line…"]
"Ha ha! It's been a while since you've called me 'kin!'"
Turncoat Rook and Turncoat Knight roared as they stood firm against the enormous waves crashing in from all sides.
Had this been their former selves, they would've been absorbed into the Bone Lord's body the moment the waves hit.
But now was different.
Through nutrient exchanges with Janus and Horus after countless battles, and bolstered by the resonance effects of Bone Parasites, their strength had increased beyond precedent.
At this point, it was plausible for them to stand against the behemoth known as the Bone Lord.
'More importantly… we're not the only ones fighting the Bone Lord right now.'
Strictly speaking, the main force was likely the unit with the Turncoat King and Turncoat Queen.
We were merely auxiliary support.
Still, considering the nature of the Bone Lord, even a supporting role was one that demanded one's life.
"Goddamn it… there's no end to this! Are we really supposed to eat all of this?!"
["Hold… the line…"]
As Turncoat Rook and Turncoat Knight shouted, I quietly said:
"I'll make an opening. Strike when it comes."
"…An opening?"
"You'll see."
With my grip firm on the Zeus-444 Railgun, I locked my eyes on the wall of bone tendrils ahead.
The waves filled my vision.
I could see nothing, but I could feel everything.
'Esther.'
["Yes."]
There was no need to verbalize my request.
Esther already knew what I wanted.
[Searching?]
[Search. Search. Search. Search. Search. Search. Search. Search. Search. Search. Search. Search. Search. Search. Search. Search. Search…]
[That way──]
Ether spread out in all directions.
Now ranked among the Beyond-Grade Specter, Esther's control over Ether had far surpassed normal limits.
Within the Bone Lord's chaotic territory, no matter how turbulent the energy, nothing could escape her search.
["Found it."]
It didn't take long for the extended Ether to find what I sought.
'Direction?'
["Let's see… it should be between NE and 60 degrees. Right in the middle, roughly."]
'Perfect.'
Even amidst the chaos, we'd located the hidden position of the Bone Lord's true body.
Now we just needed to drag it into the open.
[Lv.10]
I raised the Zeus-444 Railgun's output to maximum and aimed precisely between NE and 60.
Balancing atop Horus while waves of bone surged around us wasn't easy, but I was used to it.
Tzzzt, tzzzzt!───
The nuclear reactor rumbled violently as it generated massive energy for the Zeus-444 Railgun.
Normally, this would've been enough for level 10 output, but I wasn't stopping there.
[Heheheh…]
Ether imbued the system.
['Ether Imbuement' activated.]
Not only the projectile, but even the nuclear reactor itself was imbued with Ether.
'This'll put serious strain on the reactor… but it should last one shot.'
This Zeus-444 Railgun wasn't standard. It had been reinforced and upgraded using the Scales of Ouroboros.
And I wasn't done yet.
I poured every available resource—beyond Ether—into the Railgun's barrel.
Against most monsters or beasts, this would be the final blow. But I didn't expect that to be the case here.
Click–
The trigger was pulled.
Simultaneously, I focused Ether once more.
['Emission' has been activated.]
['Ignition' has been activated.]
With the trigger pull, a 120mm shape-memory shatter round imbued with Ether launched forward.
There was no sound.
The projectile flew faster than sound itself.
"What the─"
Turncoat Rook and Turncoat Knight's eyes snapped to the light.
And as their gaze turned, a deafening roar echoed—like the sky itself was being torn open.
KWARRRRRRRRGH!───
The Zeus-444 Railgun.
True to its name, borrowed from the God of Thunder, it fired a blinding beam that pierced the bone wave.
A massive hole opened in the ocean-like tide, halting the overwhelming advance of bone that had threatened to swallow us whole.
It was as if the world had stopped.
But time hadn't frozen.
"This is it."
"Huh? Oh."
Finally realizing it, Turncoat Rook and Turncoat Knight bared their fangs toward the Bone Lord's exposed flesh.
You don't survive by drinking the sea in desperation.
You become a vessel large enough to hold another ocean.
[Gi-git!]
[Ki-hehet!]
Janus and Horus seized the opportunity, voraciously devouring the Bone Lord's fragments scattered all around.
Even though the tendrils began to move again soon after, the feast had already begun—and could not be stopped.
Crack, crunch!
Crackkk──!
The sound of bone devouring bone.
Though more fragments shattered under pressure than were consumed, the truth remained—we were now steadily consuming parts of the Bone Lord.
'Finally.'
What that meant in the context of this battle was profound.
The enemy weakened, and we grew stronger.
In this territorial struggle where only one side could survive by consuming the other's domain, the balance had finally begun to shift.
'Of course, this is just the beginning…'
Even with the tide slowly turning, we were still at a disadvantage.
Complacency was not an option.
Janus, Horus, Turncoat Rook, and Turncoat Knight devoured the Bone Lord's fragments with unrestrained hunger.
["Master, this…"]
"I know."
Esther's gaze was grave as she looked beyond the wave of bones.
She had sensed something ominous from beyond.
'He couldn't stand it any longer.'
Whether it was the Zeus-444 Railgun's devastating strike or the sight of his flesh being eaten—or both—one thing was certain.
The entity that had hidden and observed until now was finally making an appearance.
"…This feels… off."
"What a coincidence. I was just thinking the same."
Turncoat Knight and Turncoat Rook also sensed the anomaly and tensed up.
And then, as if on cue, the waves of bone encircling us suddenly receded.
Even with the pressure lifted, none of us relaxed.
Because we saw what was emerging from beyond.
"He's here."
The Bone Lord.
At last, he revealed himself.
===BREAK===
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